Under The Sheets
by kawaiiryuzaki
Summary: As the number one Kira suspect, Light has to spend every day with L and soon notices that the greatest challenge won't be to put up with the detective's constant teasing...
1. Challenging You

**Challenging you**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note even though I wish I would...

Light Yagami watched as the clasp around his wrist snapped shut, chaining him to the very idiot who suggested this intrusion into his private life. While he had to admit that it was probably his own fault as well for willingly letting him being taken into custody as a Kira suspect, he resented this so-called detective with all his might.

Really, from the way L looked, he might as well have crawled out of a dark alley..._wait_, did this guy even shower? Light couldn't claim that he smelled bad, except for the permanent fragrance of sugar-loaded candy, but his hair certainly looked as if it had never before seen shampoo or a brush. Not to mention his clothes – L wore the same outfit every day, an oversized white shirt that made him look even skinnier than he obviously was despite all the sweets, and a pair of baggy jeans that didn't compliment his figure either. And what was it with these creepy eyes, always wide open as if he was a deer in the headlights...

His train of thought was interrupted when the subject of his reflections suddenly addressed him. "I sincerely hope you won't mind a limited amount of sleep from now on, Yagami-kun", the nightmare of every hairdresser stated in his usual monotone voice. "I'm afraid I will have to keep you awake during the nights from now on."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Misa putting on an indignant face. He briefly wondered what had gotten into her when he himself caught up on the insinuation of what L had just said. All color drained from his face and he sneaked a glance at the chief of the NPA, Soichiro Yagami. How might his father interpret this kind of situation?

"Judging from what I have observed so far, there is a 83.97% chance that you sleep seven, even more likely eight hours a night to maintain your well-groomed appearance. However, since Kira is a highly dangerous mass murderer who apparently won't shy away from disposing of innocent people that are in his way, we need to spend every waking second trying to catch him." His empty eyes turned to him, a silent question in their depths. _Will you be able to cope with this?_

Just thinking about how he would have to listen to this freak during the next few weeks until they caught Kira infuriated Light. There was no doubt that L was trying to provoke him. And to his chagrin, it seemed to work...

"Naturally", Light replied unfazed, knowing how to conceal his anger with such perfection that any actor would go green with envy. Not only did he acknowledge the detectives' words with his curt response – even more more importantly, he accepted the unspoken challenge to deal with any kind of trouble L might fling his way.

The black-haired man briefly lifted his invisible eyebrows as if to tease him and the faintest smile flickered across his pale lips.

Their mimic reactions were kept so subtle that the rest of the investigation team didn't seem to have noticed their silent exchange.

"I doubt that you'll have to worry about my son's ability to adopt to this situation", Soichiro Yagami interjected friendly but decidedly, one hand on Light's shoulder. "This would not be the first time that he gave the investigation team a crucial piece of advice that contributed to the solucion of a difficult case." He probably didn't notice himself, but his words were dripping with parental pride.

Not that Light thought he didn't deserve the praise, but it made him sick to know how easily he could fulfill everyone's expectations, be it teachers, classmates or even his own father who usually was a sceptic man and hard to convince.

"I apologize, Yagami-san, but I can assure you that I didn't mean to question your son's capability", L explained in this bored tone of voice that already pushed all of his buttons. _Lies over lies. Your only intention was to ridicule me._

An unexpected tug on the chain almost made him fall face first to the floor. Outraged, he glowered at the slouching detective who indifferently looked back at him over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Yagami-kun, it seems I have forgotten that you're attached to me now", he apologized, the amused spark in his eyes betraying his words.

"Don't worry about it", Light brushed it off politely. "That could have happened to anyone."

_That smug bastard! There's no way he simply forgot about that! If he's intending to play this stupid little game of his, I'm going to show him how I'll turn the tables on him. Who laughs last, laughs best..._

And so ends the first chapter...it's very short, but the next ones will be longer for sure and there will be more L/Light interaction ;)

Tell me what you think about it; constructive criticism is always appreciated =)


	2. Teasing You

**Teasing You**

**Disclaimer:**** Seriously, if I owned Death Note, I wouldn't waste my time writing fanfiction. I do not own it. Never will. **

The first day chained to L wasn't even over, and yet Light felt as if the roof of the multi-storey building they currently resided in had crashed and buried him beneath it.

"No way in hell", was all he managed to say, crossing his arms in front of his chest. After they had finished working – and apparently L deemed it essential to do so every night until at least 2 a.m. – the quirky detective had led his primary suspect to a room on one of the highest floors, getting there by taking the elevator. The room itself was neat; it maybe seemed a little cold and impersonal because of the lack of furniture that exceeded the most necessary objects, but that was exactly how Light preferred it to be, free of any useless junk.

No, what bothered him sure wasn't the thrift furnishing but the only double bed in sight.

L didn't even look his way when he replied. "I'm sorry that you don't share my tastes concerning interior design, but I'm afraid you'll have to cope with the terrible carpet for the duration of your stay, Yagami-kun. I feel obliged to tell you, however, that it was Watari who chose this one so that I am not to blame…"

"It's not the carpet I'm complaining about!", Japan's number one student interrupted, immediately regretting that he let his anger show for the glimpse of an eye. He coulnd't allow to let his perfect mask of politeness and composure slip if he intended to win L's idiotic game.

"Would you care to enlighten me then?", the crazy-haired imbecile probed with feigned ignorance, every syllable a hidden taunt in Lights' ears.

"I don't see another bed around here and I certainly _won't _share one with you." It was the most normal thing to say in this kind of situation, so why did it feel as if he had just admitted a huge defeat?

"I can't see any problem with that. Certainly, we could push a second bed next to this one, but the reach of the chain isn't particularly vast and won't allow you to sleep comfortably."

Light had just opened his mouth to ask him why he spoke in the singular form, when he added: "You'll mostly have the bed to yourself anyway since I usually keep working on the laptop throughout the night."

Was that freak trying to pull his leg? "You don't mean to make me believe that you function without any sleep, do you?" Although, judging from the dark smudges under his eyes it wasn't impossible.

"Not entirely. I powernap in between and sometimes lay down for an hour or two", L explained while moving over to a chest of drawers in front of an enormous glass front that allowed you a magnificent view of the brightly illuminated city of Tokyo. At this late hour, the lights in the countless skyscrapers shone in a breathtaking way – if Light had had the nerve to watch them this night.

"And how often does this so-called 'sometimes' occur?" The sole thought of sleeping in the same bed, under the same sheets as this scarecrow gave him the creeps.

"Why, does being this close to a person of the same gender make you feel uncomfortable?" L turned, a stack of fresh clothes in his hand, scrutinizing him from underneath his bangs.

_That's it! Once I'm no longer a Kira suspect, I will push him down a pair of stairs, watching him from the top. That sure will be fun!_

"Is it because you aren't used to such close contact?"

_Maybe throw him out of a window, just to make sure._

"Or is it because you fear that this experience might make you question your sexuality, Yagami-kun?"

_On second thought, hiding all his candy might be a more effective way to torture and kill him._

When L opened the door that directly connected their sleeping room with the bathroom, his murderous imagination came to a halt and he finally noticed that he still owed him a reply in order to not look like an embarrassed teenager. "Don't worry, Ryuzaki, I used to be the most popular guy among girls in both middle and high school. I doubt that something like my sexuality would ever give me sleepless nights", Light claimed self-confident. Though he supposed tht what he just said was poorly phrased, regarding the context...

"Albeit I am glad to hear that, it would be nice if you took off your clothes now."

Taken aback he just stared at his new room mate in utter shock. He must have misheard, right? Even though L operated in a most unconventional manner, he would never make a move on him, or would he? What if Misa was right, and he really _did _have a perverted disposition!

"I'd like to take a shower now", L elaborated as if he had read Lights worst fears, ponting towards the general direction of the luxurious shower cabin in one corner of the spacious room.

What probably took him so long to fully register his words was the fact that he seemingly _wasn't_ sexually harrassed. Or that L actually did shower on a regular basis, despite his unkempt exterior. But what mostly took him by surprise was that he obviously expected them to shower together.

"Sleeping in the same bed is one thing, but you can't force me to shower with you", he told him calmly. "That is too much of an invasion of my privacy."

The pale man shrugged carelessly. "From what I've heard it's no different from men taking a shower together after visiting the swimming pool. But if it bothers you that much, we can take turns."

"Of course we will! It's completely out of the question that I'd ever..." The rest of his rant came out as an incoherent mass as his counterpart suddenly started to pull his plain shirt over his head, not even waiting for Light to finish.

"In that case allow me to go in first", the skinny detective asked as Light hurriedly turned around before he was subjected to more of the pale skin underneath. To his extreme embarrassment, he could feel a blush slowly creeping into his cheeks and he was all the more glad he had turned away in time, before the man who had never heard of privacy could notice the slightly colored skin and tease him shamelessly because of it.

He just wasn't used to this kind of situation. Normally he was always the superior one, always the one in charge, but now that someone mocked him so overtly, he felt like a foolish child back in nursery school that is made fun of by other kids. L's obliviousness to modesty failed to make things easier on him.

When the sound of running water could be heard, Light heaved a sigh of relief and sneaked a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure L was already in the cabin before turning back around and casually leaning against the bathroom's wall. He grumpily glowered at the chain connecting him with the insane insomniac as if it was all the blinking metal's fault. At least the damn thing was long enough to let them take their showers separately.

This whole confinement would turn out to be like hell, that much was sure. But Light wouldn't give in, oh no, he would prove to L that he wasn't and never had been Kira and he would endure the endless accusations of being a mass murderer as well as his annoying quirks.

Hopefully he wouldn't snap one day and strangle L with the very chaing that bound them...it would be hard to explain such an incidence to the investigation team, even with his extraordinary skills to coax others into believing every word he said.

"Would you be so kind to reach me a towel?", an indifferent voice that was almost drowned out by the water pleaded.

With another long-suffering sigh, Light grabbed one of the prepared white bath towels to fling it over the edge of the shower, when he noticed for the first time that the way the room's light was angled, it shone right through the thin shower curtain and allowed him to see the rough outlines of L's body. No details, of course not, just a slightly blurred shadow, but it was enough to see that he in fact looked malnourished despite eating his weight in sugar every day and that his usually spiky hair that stuck out to all sides seemed to be plastered to his forehead.

As if turned to stone, Light breathlessly watched as the shadow angled his neck so that the steaming water poured right over L's face; and for the blink of an eye Light imagined how he might have closed his black eyes, long dark lashes casting shadows over the white skin that might be flushed from the heat.

A soft tingle ran up his spine – at the thought of how a grown male could be so disgustingly thin, of course!

"Yagami-kun?", the voice reminded him of the here and now, snapping Light out of his daydream...wait, when did he decide to call this fleeting thought a _daydream_?

This would be even harder than initially believed.


	3. Living With You

**Living With You**

First of all, thanks to the people who support this fanfiction, especially to the ones who reviewed, it's much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** No know the drill. Death Note's not mine. Goes for all the chapter so I won't have to repeat myself anymore, right?

It was the most awkward shower Light had ever taken. On the one hand he felt incredibly uncomfortable knowing that L had the chance to observe him as he had unintentionally done before. But then again he didn't want to point it out in case the detective had failed to notice the kind of revealing curtain.

When he stepped out, bad-tempered because he didn't get to enjoy the only time he could spend away from that nutcase, L waited for him with a towel in his outstretched hand, thankfully with his face turned away (but only because Light had threatened to hide his candy otherwise).

"Wearing a constant scowl as you do will only blemish your pretty face, Yagami-kun. It won't chase away my suspicion regarding your identity as Kira", L informed him with that half-hearted and yet taunting smile that drove him up the wall.

"I did not know that my appearance was any of your concerns, Ryuzaki", Light retorted while running his fingers through his auburn hair and following the detective into their sleeping room. What was this comment about his _pretty face? _If he didn't know better, he would assume that L was trying to _hit _on him. Fortunately, he did know better because by just looking at him even a fool could see that L must have lost his sexuality somewhere between the infinite amout of candy he consumed daily and late hours he spent working in utter darkness.

"It indeed is, because there's a high chance that you will get ill-tempered the next morning should the image you see in the mirror not live up to your expectations, which could in turn obstruct the investigation."

_I might not be Kira, but I wouldn't be aversed to see you go down with a heart attack right now! _Although he should be careful what to wish for as L dying while no one but Light was around might not be the best possible way to prove his innocence.

"Let's just go to bed already", he decided, unsure of what to respond to L's badly hidden accusation to be superficial and internally cringing at how wrong it sounded to say these words to this lunatic, of all people. Hopefully he wouldn't get used to it...

As Light slipped under the covers, clad in a dark red and striped pyjamas, he watched as L sat on the edge of the bed in his usual crouch, delicately opening his laptop with two fingers as if it was about to bite his spidery hand off. Honestly, Light wasn't sure whether to be amused or exasperated upon learning that he wore exact same outfit for bed that he wore day after day during work.

When the light was turned off, the illuminated windows outside seemed to shine even brighter, hunting the shadows of the night. Despite his fatigue Light marveled at Tokyo's beauty for a while. He had grown up in the outskirts of Japan's capital and since he wasn't the type of guy to go out at the weekends, he appreciated the view with heavy eyelids.

Until L caught his eye. That beanpole was biting his thumb as if he was gnawing on a piece of excellent toffee instead of his own flesh. He always needed something in his mouth, didn't he?

His stomach churned at that very ambiguous thought, so he determindely concentrated on L's other facial features. The artificial light of the screen cast a gloomy glow onto his face, underlining his hollow cheeks and the unhealthily pale hue of his skin. Even without knowing him one could see that the detective spent all of his time inside in front of a computer. The jet-black hair that stood up on all ends became one with the dark surroundings, making his already bizarre exterior look even more supernatural. Light quickly became hypnotised by the long fleeting fingers, giving the impression of white dancing spiders, never resting just like the ever-watchful detective himself.

With a cold shiver running down his spine, he noticed that those two black holes in L's skull that he seemed to consider his eyes were resting on him. "Is something the matter, Yagami-kun? If I recall correctly – and I'll take the liberty of assuming I do – you were the one who requested to go to bed earlier. It was beyond my knowledge that this activity included staring at me."

"You must be conceited if you believe that I was staring at you", Light snorted in the most condescending tone he could muster. "When you turned your head I was by pure chance looking in your direction, that is all there is to it."

"My ability to see even the smallest movement in my peripheral vision is outstanding, Yagami-kun. I realized your acting skills are not less excellent, but you needn't lie to me reagarding this matter."

It was for the very first time that Light consciously noticed how of all the people he had met so far in his life, this inconspicuous freak was the only one that was really on a par with him, seeing through each and every of his deceits as if his mind was an open book. And to his annoyment he had to admit that – as much as he loathed living with L – he enjoyed the mental challenge neither school nor college afterwards could provide him with.

"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend", he muttered under his breath and turned so that he was facing away from the unpleasant light of the screen and the constant tapping on the keyboard that resumed soon after. The detective either hadn't heard his remark or decided that it was not worth a reply.

Light fell asleep to the entertaining thought of how L might act around a girl he liked, not at all surprised when all that came to his mind was some awkward courtship dance for strawberry cheese cake.

When he awoke he felt a warmth surrounding him he wasn't used to. His alarm clock would go off soon for sure, telling him that it was time to get up and ready for college. A quiet sigh left his mouth. Dealing with the same boring courses and dull people again would be tiresome, so he decided to bury his head a little deeper into the warmth underneath him and keep dozing for as long as he could.

"I don't mean to disrupt your beauty sleep nor do I want to make fun of your weight, but you're getting kind of heavy", a stifled voice that sounded _way_ too close for his taste notified him. With a startle Light opened his eyes wide and belatedly noticed that the coziness he had felt didn't originated from his pillow or comforter as he had thougth but a scrawny body he hugged so tightly that a bomb might have gone off and he would still be clinging to L as if for dear life.

In shock, his eyes wandered to said detective's face. His eyes stuck to every of his moves, the index finger positioned at the side of his mouth in a curious gesture that made Light even more aware of his current situation. Both of his arms were wrapped around the other male's midriff and his legs awkwardly entangled with L's long limbs in a manner that could only be described as a suggestive position. The white shirt he wore had ridden up because of Light's unintentional show of affection and revealed the flat yet firm stomach that his cheek rested against. All in all he felt like hugging an oversized and extraordinarily repulsive teddy bear.

Flinching away he could feel how his horrified face took on the color of an overripe tomatoe. "Why the hell didn't you wake me earlier?!", he spluttered indignantly.

A mischievous smile spread on L's face. "But you acted in such an affectionate way, how could I have denied you?", he teased.

"I was fast asleep! It's not as if I wanted to...to..." Helplessly he waved around with his arms, furious that he was reduced to this speechless and blushing self around him more and more. "Despite, haven't you told me that you would rarely ever sleep in this bed?"

"I wanted to lay down for a short while; I believe I have informed you about this part of my sleeping habits as well. Had I known that you would attack me, I might have refrained from doing so." He still made no effort to sit up or at least straighten that freaking shirt and cover his abdomen. Instead his stupid grin just broadened when he added: "You're an incredibly active sleeper, Light-kun."

"I still don't see why you didn't just..." _Woah, wait! _Had L just adressed him by his first name? He couldn't remember him doing it ever before and it was even harder to figure out the reason for this sudden change in behavior. _Is this some new method to get on my nerves? Does he want to test whether he can get a reaction from me? Well, that's not going to happen, master detective!_

"Has it ever crossed your mind that I couldn't sleep soundly because a monster was sitting on the edge of the bed? Besides, you didn't seem to fend me off that vigorously", he reminded him smugly.

"That is because I thought it would seem rude if I kicked an attractive man out of bed", L argued, idly scratching his partly exposed stomach as he calmly met Light's gaze whose superior expression had been wiped off his face. Could he trust his ears anymore? He felt ricidulous even considering it but – what if his roommate was in fact trying to make advances to him? Had L even any inkling of what flirting meant and that what he was saying could be interpreted as a double entendre?

There it was again! This unwanted shiver that took posession of his whole body and made his hair stand on end. And for some reason his eyes were drawn to the spot right above the other's hip bone...

"Would you just cover yourself already!", he exclaimed, grasping the hem of the garment and pulling it down aggressively. The look the detective cast him was similar to that of a child who had just been scolded for being disobedient. "Light-kun..."

Ignoring L's confusion and the prodding that began soon after, accompanied by a questioning "Light-kun" from time to time, he closed his eyes again and pretented to be a dead or some inanimate object that could not react.

Working with the freak for a whole day had been hard enough already. But if this was what living with him meant, then Light wasn't sure what would happen first: The investigation team catching Kira and bringing the mass murderer to justice or him dying a cruel death before the night was even over.


	4. Captivating You

**Captivating You**

If there was one thing that Light hated more than his current roommate, it was L being right when it came to his Kira suspect. Fortunately this wasn't about the detective's supposition to be fulfilled, but he was still right. Upon looking into the mirror that morning Light had to detect disgruntled that he now wore dark smudges under his eyes to match L's, if not as prominent – and he didn't like it one bit!

After waking up for the first time last night and discovering that he had the tendency to snuggle up to others while asleep, something had constantly hindered him from going back to sleep again, be it L's childish poking of his lower back, the fear of waking up once more to find his cheek buried in his warm chest or just his presence itself that ominously hung over him throughout the whole night.

Hopefully this confinement would not transform him into an exact copy of the nuisance. When he glanced at his auburn hair however, it couldn't be denied that it already looked slightly more tousled after waking up than usual. With a tired sigh he started to spray cool water on his face in an attempt to wash the exhaustion away and also used some to try and smooth down the obstinate sections of the hair.

"Will you finish your grooming in the foreseeable future, Light-kun?" The pale man's face appeared behind Light and curiously stared over his right shoulder to observe his attempts at looking presentable. In the unnatural light of the bathroom he resembled a ghost that somehow got lost in the realm of the living. As proof of his vividness however Light could feel his warm breath on the side of his neck and really, _really _wished that he'd step back instead of standing so close.

"I'm not _grooming_, Ryuzaki", he contradicted, still fixated on his reflection. "I just don't want to look like a stray cat as you do, you know?"

"Was that a hidden stab on my appearance?"

He huffed in amusement. "You really are the top detective of this world, aren't you?"

In the mirror image Light could see how the other's lip shifted the slightest and made it look as if he was pouting. To be quiet frank, if this was anyone else he might have called it almost...

"Please hurry up, Light-kun, I'm hungry."

"Yeah, yeah", he muttered and continued fixing his hair until he was pleased.

_Cute._

* * *

After dressing – of course you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at L's never changing outfit – they went to the kitchen that was conveniently located right next to their bedroom. It was designed in mostly white surfaces or steal, giving it a clinical and sterile exterior. Not that it bothered Light at all as long as it served its purpose.

"Did you know that I assume that Kira is a very tidy and fastidious individual?", L asked nonchalantly whilst entering the kitchen, walking straight to the counter where a box with doughnuts had already been placed. Light supposed that it had been L's personal slave, Watari.

"If that's your way of accusing me as Kira once again, then _you_ should know that I don't feel like playing your stupid game of 'annoying the hell out of me' so early in the morning." He wouldn't rise to his bait and instead set about making coffee for the both of them.

"Isn't it odd hwo you jumped to the conclusion that I was referring to you when all I did was talk about Kira in general?" Fixing his obsidian eyes on him, L opened the box that held his saccharine treasure and fished out a doughnut glazed with chocolate.

"If I _was _Kira I would have already killed you", Light spat through clenched teeth, smashing the freshly brewn coffee down in front of L, not caring that some of the dark liquid spilled over the edge onto the table.

"Was that a confession?"

"Just shut the fuck up, Ruyzaki!"

"Maybe you're right after all. I deem Kira to be a person of remarkable intelligence that wouldn't use such foul laguage." And with that he began consuming his breakfast, happily lapping up the semi-liquid chocolate.

Light was about to slap that muck out of his hand, boiling with anger because of the insolent ridiculing of his genius mind.

But then he paused, all of his wrath subsiding at one blow.

Unable to tear his eyes away, he watched L as he licked the chocolate away, his eyes half closed in utter bliss. Light swallowed nervously. That guy acted as if he was eating a piece of heaven, totally unaware of his surroundings. As if to mimic L's behavior, he licked his lips and was about to demand from him to eat properly, when the sounds started. With every lick L took he uttered a low gluttoral moan. In the otherwise silent kitchen it could be heard easily, but the more Light listened the more unbearably quiet did it seem.

Maybe for the first time in his life, Light was hopelessly turned on. His entire body felt incredibly hot as if on fire and the up to now faint tingling in his spine spread through him until it even reached his fingers and toes.

There was no way that someone could indulge in an activity as eating with such rapt attention, that bastard _had _to know what he was doing to his poor suspect!

By now L had finished sucking off the chocolate as if performing a professional fellatio, but a stain remained on his chin right next to the corner of his mouth. The overwhelming urge to get up and lick the smuge away grew until it pushed any other thought to the back of Light's mind.

With a clattering sound the chair he had sat on the whole time toppled over.

Charcoal eyes were suddenly fixed on him, surprised.

Light blinked in confusion.

In his ecstasy he must have gotten up with a jolt, causing the chair to fall and the subject of his desire to stare at him as if the half-eaten doughnut in his hands had started to talk to him.

"I – ugh..." Not a single word came over his lips that usually had no problem to even persuade a vegetarian to solely live on meat. And now that he was in his right mind again he noticed how a thin sheen of sweat had broken out on his forehead and worse yet, that his slacks seemed to be the tiniest bit tighter than before.

Mortified he put the chair up again and hurriedly sat back down, hoping that L had not yet noticed the cause of his embarrassment. He abandoned all hope when their eyes met.

"I believe to know what is going on here", the detective stated slowly and Light cursed his astuteness. There was still a chance to escape a painful death of shame and awkwardness. If only he could reach the kitchen knife fast enough...not to forget that it would once and for all free him from L's suspicion of being a mass murderer.

"When we discussed breakfast preparation yesterday you claimed to only need some coffee in the morning. Had I known that you'd want a doughnut so badly, I would have Watari procure a second box. This way however there won't be enough for both of us." And with that he pulled the cardboard container closer to himself, resembling a jealous child that didn't want to share his toys.

Light was completely floored. Had he really not noticed his condition? Or was he just feigning ignorance to be able to use it against him later on?

In either case Light must have looked pitiable because unexpectedly L plucked another doughnut out of his treasure chest and reluctantly offered it to him. "I will make an exception only this once, Light-kun. Next time you'll just have to clarify what you'd like for breakfast, so stop staring at me, please."

Despite his disgust for sugary treats Light accepted the generous gift, too confused to disagree. "Thanks", he muttered feebly, taking a cautious bite and trying his hardest not to make a face as the amount of sugar it contained seemed to clog up all of his veins. He had to retain the last scrap of dignity he still possessed.

Across from him L gave him one of his creepy half-smiles, apparently content with his own benevolence. "I sincerely hope that I have satisfied your needs", he said innocently, prompting Light to spontaneously choke on his doughnut.

* * *

Not even a good night's sleep – or at least one that was better than last night's – was able to help Light to get back to his old self again. Every time L unwrapped some candy during work, in other words _all the time, _his eyes were glued to that skilled tongue that never missed a single crumb of cake or drop of chocolate. It drove him insane to the point where he could no longer focus on the documents in front of him, going so far that he had to concentrate to even breathe.

Thankfully the investigation team didn't seem to notice any difference about him, carrying on the same way they always did, mostly in silence. Matsuda, who had been treated like the idiot of the team got a promotion to L's second slave right after Watari in the course of the day, and it incensed Light how that brat manipulated anyone to follow every of his absurd whims.

By the end of the day thus, way past midnight, he felt drained and irritable, wanting nothing more than to just sink into the matress and forget the world around him.

L didn't seem to approve of his plans.

Before Light even reached the bed, the detective had already crawled under the covers, reminding him of a child about to play hide and seek. But L clearly was no child; he estimated him to be somewhere in his mid-twenties in spite of his childlike behavior.

"How old are you, Ryuzaki?", he asked while sitting down, almost getting a heart attack when L peeked at him from under the bedclothes.

"I cannot discern the reason for that question, except if you were Kira trying to gather information about me, of course", the nag replied without hesitation.

"Listen, can we postpone this whole 'accusing Light-kun of being a serial killer'-thing until tomorrow?", he sighed in an ironic tone. "To be honest I just want to sleep."

"I see."

A tensed silence streched between them in which they both regarded the other expectantly.

"_Without _you in there", Light specified, growing tired of his antics. How could someone with the IQ of the detective be so frustratingly dense?

L didn't move an inch nor did he bat an eye when he asked: "Are you going to kick me out?"

"Quit looking at me so pitifully, you moron!" Great, his temper showed again... "I just don't like it when you're hiding under the covers when I'm not. It gives me the creeps."

"Then why don't you come as well?", the detective suggested, holding up the comforter and thinner sheet for him.

That was the moment when Light probably should have turned his offer down, when he should have just dragged him out of bed or at least ignored him before he got even more involved with this queer fish. But something (and later he would try to convince himself that it was because of his exhaustion) made him relent and he joined L, pulling the cover over his head. Somewhere in the back of his mind he expected that the detective would further annoy him, but he remained silent without making a sound as if suddenly pacified.

Much longed for sleep enveloped Light, and he fell into unconsciousness to L's sugary scent that he didn't seem to mind as much as he first thought he would.

* * *

**As always, a huge thank you to everyone that supports this story in any way, because it's you who keep me motivated at any time! :)**


	5. Falling For You

**Falling For You**

Most people go through a life changing experience at one point in their lives, be it an important change of school, the divorce of ones' parents, a marriage, having children or the death of a beloved person.

For Light Yagami, former student of the Toho University of Tokyo, this turning point was meeting the eccentric twit the world knew as L.

Although he greatly disliked the all-nighters they sometimes pulled because of the detective's steadfast refusal to go to bed or the tiresome paperwork that needed to be done, he finally had a purpose in life. Catching Kira was an extreme challenge that filled the empitness he had felt before, substituting the trivial days of school and the nondescript faces all around him.

But that was not all. Something inside of him had changed ever since that first day and night he had spent with L, and now he had come to like all sorts of things more than he would have ever expected. In the beginning he had dreaded the minute the investigation team, including his father, called it a day, leaving him alone with this creep, but with every passing day he looked more forward to that time of the day, when he didn't have to pretend any more that L's consumption of sweets didn't fascinate him, as long as the detective himself didn't catch him peeking.

Sometimes he counted the seconds that were left until the sun and the moon switched places, entailing the darkness in which it would only be the two of them. By now it was impossible to deny that he outrightly ogled L's blurred lithe form on the other side of the flimsy shower cutain, unconsciously hoping that it would grow transparent one night. It was humiliating, to say the least.

The worst though were his battle of words with his roommate that constantly ended with him being flustered and the wish to be wiped off the face of the earth. Finally he had met an equal, a human being that wasn't as easy to look through as the curtain hanging in their bathroom, someone who couldn't be wrapped around his little finger. But instead of enjoying and winnig L's challenges, he couldn't even recognize himself any more.

"I'm pathetic", Light whispered to himself upon waking up that morning, finding himself holding onto L as he did nearly every time when the insomniac actually went to sleep. The detective usually noticed his unplanned ministrations, but he never said anything, simply watching with a blank face as Light muttered a quick apology and disentangled himself from L.

This time however, the sugar-addict's eyes were still tightly closed, so Light took the freedom of not removing his arms right away, instead opting for observing his still figure. He lay there with his legs pulled up almost to his chest in a fetal position, with his thumb wedged between his lips, underlining the image of a frail child. Light had woken up with his cheek pressed against his back this time, basking in the wonderful warmth radiation from it despite L's corpse-like appearance, giving off the impression of icy skin.

Being careful not to make a sound that would rouse him, he peered over his narrow back. It is often said how peaceful people look when they lie dormant and Light had always dismissed it as empty talk, but for L it was completely true. For once he didn't resemble the vile and sneaky creature he was in reality. In the weak golden light that filtered in through the huge glass front right next to their bed Light saw how his thin eyelids fluttered restlessly as if dreaming. Cake maybe...?

Before he could stop himself, he had reached out and taken a strand of L's black hair between his thumb and index finger, twirling it around. It was much softer than his scarecrow-like appearance gave away.

Heaving a sigh, he let it fall back again, the dark tresses stark against the white sheets. All of this had become too much of a habit, how L from time to time just crawled under the covers and waited for Light to follow like an eerie and too large cat.

To his horror he had even started to _like _it, getting used to sleeping with L under the sheets like impish kids on a sleepover. On the whole, Light fell much faster asleep when he was able to touch the detective, be it only their toes lightly brushing or his knee connecting him the side of L's calf or thigh. Yet again he had no clue whether he noticed or just shrugged it off as accidental touches, as he never mentioned it.

When Light experimentally pressed closer to the young man, a sudden rush of emotion shot through his body, resulting in goose bumps covering his skin. It was not that he was _falling _for this bizarre dope, no that was certainly exaggerated, but there was something about him that deeply fascinated him, how this unkempt exterior stood so much in contrast to his brilliant mind, how he combined so many contrasts in general: The playful innocence of a child against the merciless interrogator that had imprisoned and brought to death numerous criminals. The almost feminine beatuy against his messy look, the most famous detective of the world being the same person nobody knew anything about, with the exception of Watari maybe.

A glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table told Light that it was 5.30 in the morning. It was late summer and pretty warm even in this well insulated room; the only thing keeping him from stripping down to his boxers this monster beside him. It was already hard enough for him to keep his thoughts collected around L the way it was, but with a reduction of clothes...

Greatly disliking where his train of thought was going he decided to go back to sleep again as long as he could. As soon as L awoke, there wouldn't be left a single quiet minute anyway.

* * *

A sharp and abrupt pain was the first thing he felt after his light slumber, followed by gravity losing its validity for a split second and a crash when gravity was restored again short after.

From the spot where Light lay next to their bed, he took a deep, coughing breath and desperately tried to figure out why the world had turned upside down for a hearbeat. L lingered a few steps away from him, apparently unaffected by the temporary lapse of the laws of nature.

"Ah yes, the chain...", he uttered tonelessly, and Light instantly understood what had been going on.

"Don't tell me you forgot about the goddamned chain again!", he complained while holding his aching chest, the impact having pressed all air out of his lungs. There were more pleasant ways of waking somone. "Shouldn't you be used to it by now?"

"Don't you know that the most dangerous part about habits is that you forget about them?"

"Don't _you_ know that you're supposed to be more intelligent for being the greatest detective worldwide instead of wiping the floor with others' faces?" Light didn't have the best start into the day, and L's uncaring behavior did not make it any better either.

"To become abusive when being angered or humiliated. A typical characteristic I'd attribute to Kira, Light-kun."

_That's it, Ryuzaki! Your supply of candy is going to vanish forever now!_

* * *

Nobody could claim that Light Yagami wasn't a man of his word.

Right after coming down to meet up with the rest of the investigation team, the very first thing that L did was perch on his office chair and order a huge box of éclairs from Watari. The eldery man didn't make his protégé wait long and soon arrived with the desired treat, putting it down on the table in front of him and leaving without so much as a word.

Before the detective's hand came even close to the wrapped packet, Light had rapidly snatched it away and squashed the delicacy with the palm of his hand. Luckily for him, the rest of the team was busy elsewhere and didn't pay any attention when he mashed the pastries once more to make sure nothing was left of them and threw them away into the waste bin under the desk.

L did not move for some moments, paralyzed and with his arms still outstreched to pick up the éclairs. Eventually he turned his head towards him, a huge and pleading 'Light-kun' written all over his shocked face. There was no doubt that Light would have enjoyed his triumph more had L not looked like a kicked puppy.

"What have you done that for?", he asked, and Light was sure that he didn't just imagine to hear the treatening undertone despite the sad face he had put on.

"Don't you even try to get a new box from Watari", the Kira suspect huffed in feigned superiority. "The same fate will wait for all of your disgustingly sweet treats." Crossing his arms, he casually leaned back in his chair. "This is payback for this morning when you dragged me out of bed as if I was a lifeless doll. If you won't become any more considerate towards me, I refuse to do the same for you, Ryuzaki."

"That was simply an accident."

"So is what I just did."

The unhappy one to interrupt their fierce staring contest was Matsuda, stopping by in his usual cheerful demeanour and completely unaware of the resentment they both harboured against each other. "I just wanted to see whether there's anything I could do", he said, scratching his neck in evident embarrassment. "Seems like the others have already devided the tasks for today and I've been left out."

L was obviously about to tell him off brusquely, miffed that his highly valued pastries had been turned into crumbs, but then his face brightened. "As a matter of fact, there is indeed something you could carry out for me, Matsuda-san", he drawled out pensively. "If you would be so kind as to bring me some coffe. Including a great amout of sugar, please."

Upon hearing L's irrelevant request, Matsuda's previous eager face fell. "Uh, sure..."

"Oh, please don't misunderstand me. I'd like you to come and sit with us while drinking a cup of coffe together."

Out of the corner of his eye, Light watched the detective giving Matsuda his most charming smile – which wasn't much because L had the charisma of a floor lamp. But still...with every fibre of his being he despised how friendly he treated him. Did Matsuda not notice how he was simply being used? What he hated even more though was the his reaction: A faint blush, possibly out of happiness to finally not being excluded by everyone. With a overenthusiastic nod, he stormed away to fulfill L's wish.

"Do you enjoy bossing others around that much?" Light could almost physically taste the bitterness of his words.

"What are you talking about, Light-kun? Matsuda-san is simply being nice to me, whereas you have displayed quite rude behaviour. Wouldn't it be unwise of me to prefer your company over his?"

For the blink of an eye, Light almost wanted to tell him that he was sorry, that it had all been a silly joke and that he wouldn't smash his sweets again if he still felt like ordering some. Because an overwhelming surge of possessiveness took hold of him, stirring the need to hide L away so nobody else could have him, and although Light never once had to deal with this disturbing feeling before he knew that it was what ordinary people described as 'jealousy'.

He panicked.

_That cannot possibly mean..._

While his mind went into overdrive, Matsuda returned with a coffeepot and three cups in the other hand.

_This is just ridiculous._

Light watched unhappily as L's second personal slave poured him a steaming cup of coffee, getting even more upset about the sweet smile the detective offered his employee.

_But what if it's true after all and I am..._

The sound of his pounding heart reverberated so insistantly in his ears by now that he couldn't even follow their conversation any more.

Not that he wanted to because he had a more pressing problem at hand, one he had tried to deny for the past several days and weeks.

_...falling for you._

* * *

**Poor Light, I fear it won't make life any easier now that he tentatively accepted his feelings ;)**

**Your latest reviews made me smile so much; thank you, wonderful readers!**


	6. Obsessed With You

**Obsessed With You**

With the exception of being erroneously charged with being a mass murderer, this was the worst case scenario that could have occured. Developing an attraction to _L_ of all people! More yet, even a little crush...

Light could easily remember all the swooning girls that would have glady kissed the ground on which he walked, throwing themselves at his throat and always preoccupied to attend to his every whim and fancy if required. Although he could have picked any girl, he had never been interested in their plain approaches, already getting bored with them when they opened their mothes to talk with him. In his defense it should be said that he had usually tried not to lie to his worshippers, but if a girl could be of any use to him, he had stayed with her for a short while before discarding her again.

But even though women didn't appeal to him, men certainly did not either, which is why these unknown feelings came as even more of a surprise to Light. More than anything else, he valued perfect manners as well as a neat appearance, both of which L lacked immensely. It became apparant however, that this wasn't the entire truth. What Light appreciated most was a beautiful, sharp mind, one that was able to keep him on the go and prevented him from falling back into his former boredom.

"Light-kun..."

But more importantly, what was he supposed to do with his affection? Ignore it and hope and it would go away on its own? Act on it? But how - and apart from that L didn't seem to take any interest in him on a romantic level. Secretly he doubted that the detective was capable of being attracted to _anyone. _At the most if that person's body was covered in chocolate syrup from head to toe...

"Light-kun?"

Only when a stack of documents was shoved into his face did he register L's recurrent attempts to get his attention. "It seems you've been absent-minded. Well then, top or bottom?"

"C-come again?" He had been about to take a sip of his coffee, but out of surprise he spilled some on his beige slacks where it left a dark stain. The shock made him forget about the pain of the still hot liquid scalding his thigh. Was L able to read his thoughts? Why would he ask such an indecent question? Out of mere interest, or did he intend to take their relationship to a whole new level? But then again, wouldn't it be reasonable for a man to go for "top" in this situation anyway? So why the sudden inquiry?

"Would you prefer sorting through the top section of the documents or the bottom?", L elaborated, waving the files around, seemingly confused that it would take his co-worker that long to figure out the obvious. "However you decide, I can guarantee you that the paper work will be shared equally between the two of us."

Light felt as if he had just tripped and fallen in front of a humongous audience during a highly significant event. It was absolutely _not _like him to jump to such ridiculous conclusions!

To crown it all, Matsuda was still sitting there after the detective had inivted him to drink some coffee with them. And from the way his eyes had taken on the size of saucers, Light could effortlessly deduce that he had come to the same improper assumption as he had. Well, great! Last thing he needed was the rumor that the great detective might harrass his main suspect. Although...wouldn't that contribute to getting free from the lunatic for good?

"Light-kun...?"

"Don't 'Light-kun' me all the time, you pest!", he snapped, as perplexed as ever to see that L didn't shrink away from his animosity at all, instead keeping up his apathetic expression. "And stop asking useless questions! Just hand me over one of the stacks", he added, grabbing one bundle at random, albeit smug on the inside when he noticed that it had been the top one after all. "What's all of this? New data about Kira again? We can only hope that they will finally give us a new lead after all this time."

"You are so dominant today", the insomniac noted, adding a couple of sugar cubes to his cup of coffee; the sheer amount of it making Light sick to the stomach. _Dominant though, Ryuzaki? Why that conspicuous wording?_

"Perhaps I should raise the percentage of you being Kira."

"And perhaps _I _should _reduce you_ – by a head", Light countered surlily.

"That would make your already high percentage explode though."

"Then stop provoking me", he pleaded, so sick and tired of this game that it didn't even matter to him to indirectly admit a temporary defeat.

L genuinely seemed bewildered now. "Whatever are you talking about? I was simply trying to fulfill the expectations of what ordinary people might presume to be politness."

"You – you have no idea what you've just implied?", Light probed incredulously, completely blending out Matsuda by now. The latter hurriedly tried to get away anyway, mumbling a lame excuse about having to support the other investigation team members with their tasks now, obviously forgetting that he had already admitted that he had been coldheartedly excluded before.

"I did not intend to imply anything with the exception that I wanted to give you a choice; otherwise I might end up hearing complaints about how I would pass the tedious part on to you." And with that L started to stuff his face with strawberry cheesecake, without a doubt one of his favorite treats, leaving Light with a peculiar feeling. Of course he was relieved that he was not sexually harrassed by his superior, if you'd want to call him that, but there was also something else. A feeling of bitter disappointment, knowing that L did not take any interest in him apart from the fact that he might be Kira. _Why_ for crying out loud did he have to fall for the one person he could never have?

As if the detective deliberately wanted to torment him some more, he reached for some files on the far end of the desk, exposing the small of his back to Light's hungry eyes. With a long-suffering sigh, he put his head into his hands and only barely resisted the urge to bang it onto the desk's metallic surface.

* * *

From the day of Light's reluctant realization on, things went really awry. While his top goal remained to catch this damn Kira and regain his full freedom, he became more and more infatuated with L, getting sweaty palms when he only addressed him and being unable to sleep at night because of their close proximity. Against his better judgement he started to sneak secret glances at him when they changed clothes, never getting enough to see, however, to satisfy whatever it was that built inside of him. In the middle of working, his mind would drift away to the most distressing daydreams, all of them involving L and the majority of them ending with both of them getting rid of their clothes entirely. But still, Light wouldn't claim to have a preference for men. It was more like he had never had interest in _anyone_ before, with L being the only exception, the one who set the ball rolling so to say.

It was already September 12th when Matsuda came in late in the morning, bringing huge amounts of drinks and snacks with him and mirthfully declaring that there wouldn't be any work today.

Nobody was even surprised anymore; all of them unanimously decided that it was one of Matsudas' daily stupidities again.

"I would like to remind you that_ I_ am the leader of this investigation and therefore the one to decide whether we take any breaks from work or not", L interjected sharply; and the glare he sent his way was so scorching that he might as well have suggested to ban all candy from Japan starting now.

Secretly Light approved of how the detective did not try to be overly friendly with him anymore. Not that he hated Matsuda, but when it came to the sugar-addict he wanted everybody else to back off.

Matsuda ducked his head like a reprimanded child, but instantly got his eagerness back and chirped: "But today's the chief's birthday! We've been working non-stop, mostly even coming on Sundays and official holidays."

Soichiro Yagami adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "I'm no longer the 'chief', as you should know. And although I'm honored, I don't think it is necessary at all to celebrate my birthday, especially when there are more important issues we need to attend to."

_Oh, right...it's my father's birthday today. _Thanks to the immense distraction provided by L, Light more and more failed at his role as the exemplary son.

At this point Matsuda appeared kind of despondent that nobody felt like accepting his proposal with delight. But it wasn't like him to give up that easily. "I thought that maybe a free day would make work easier again", he explained, hanging his head. "Besides, I've already bought all of these drinks and treats..."

At the sound of the word "treats", L's jet-black eyes lit up with a rare light that only surfaced when sugar was mentioned. Light had to hide his smile of amusement and fondness. _Well played, Matsuda..._

"Perhaps Matsuda-san is right after all", the lead detective decided, swivelling around to face the older man. "I acknowledge that I've demanded a lot from all of you lately, so a recess might be in order."

Nobody seemed convinced at first, but luckily for L none of them noticed his greedy looks that already unwrapped the candy mentally, and so little by little they lay aside what they had been working on and accepted Matsudas' offers with gratitude. Naturally no one wanted to admit it out loud, but they were all glad to not have to tend to dull paper work for at least one day.

As Light would have expected of L, they kept sitting apart instead of joining the others in their conversations that were distinctly more light-hearted than usual. The detective munched happily on some pastries (completely ignoring Light's threat to smash them once more) and occassionaly sipped on a sugary beverage Matsuda had brought for him.

* * *

It was past noon when L slipped from his office chair without uttering a sound, falling over as if he had turned to stone. Cold fear washed over Light as he leapt to his feet, rushing over to his side with only one thought pulsing through his head.

_A heart attack..._

The rest of the team jumped up as well, and the first shouts of "Kira" could be heard.

With trembling fingers, Light turned the detective over and pulled him in an upright position, praying to all Gods above that it was not the dreaded serial killer's doing.

The expression on L's face caught him off-guard, to put it mildly. While he was utterly relieved to see that his heart still seemed to beat the way it should, the insomniac's cheeks were tinted red, a noticable contrast to his usually deathly pale complexion. His dark eyes were glazed over as if he was sick, and upon being sat up, he swayed violently and fisted his hand in Light's pullover, evidently unable to keep his balance without support.

"Ryuzaki, are you..." Suddenly L's face was very close to his own, so close that combined with his hot breath skimming over Light's skin, he found it incredibly hard to concentrate and stopped mid-sentence.

"What happened?", Light's father asked worriedly, looking over his shoulder to get hold of the situation.

He was about to reply that he didn't know either when the unmistakable smell of alcohol reached his nose. _What the... _

"I – I think he is...drunk?", Light said in a baffled tone of voice, the mere thought sounding ridiculous. But taking his "symptoms" into account there was no other explanation.

Aizawa took the emptied bottled L had drunk from in his hand, reading the label. "This stuff is alcoholic", he told the others. "But it still seems to be sweet enough that Ryuzaki didn't notice." He snorted. "Who would be idiotic enough to give that to someone who has probably never tasted a single drop of alcohol in his whole life?"

Automatically all heads turned towards Matsuda, who sheepishly scratched his neck. "I really had no idea!", he assured, wildly waving his arms for emphasis. "It just read 'strawberry flavored' so I thought he might like it. I swear that if I had known..."

"Anyway", Light impatiently interrupted his rant, getting up and pulling the helpless detective with him. "As Aizawa said there's no doubt that Ryuzaki is not used to alcohol. It's probably best to just let him sleep it off, and if we're lucky he's rested enough tomorrow morning so he can get back to work again."

Soichiro furrowed his brow. "I'm really sorry we have to ask this of you, Light", he sighed sympathetically.

"It's alright", he replied, already on his way to the elevator with L leaning heavily on him. "I doubt he'll give me much trouble. See you tomorrow!"

"I'm dizzy, Light-kun", his roommate slurred after they had rounded the corner.

"That is hardly surprising. You'll get a fine headache when you wake up tomorrow, even if what you've drunk wasn't even that much for an ordinary person." They stopped in front of the elevator, Light pressing the button to get it down. "Why didn't you stop? You must've noticed at some point that it contained alcohol."

"It.." He staggered dangerously, causing Light to grasp him more firmly around the waist. "It tasted of strawberry."

"Figures." The elevator arrived and opened with a jarring _bing. _Dragging L with him, he stepped inside, trying to ignore the tense silence that streched between them. They way he clung to him, how powerless the mighty detective was in that moment – it took Light all of his willpower to not try anythinig indecent he would regret later on. It wouldn't hurt to lean back against the wall though...or to press L slightly closer to his body so he wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Bastard", Light mumbled without any ill intention, burying his face in his untamed hair. "You gave me a good scare for a moment." L did not say anything, probably too intoxicated to register what happened around him. "I have no idea what I'd have done if Kira had gotten you", he continued softly, daring to touch the top of his head with his lips without any pressure. "You just keep doing these _things_ to me..." He dipped his head until his mouth rested at his temple. "...and yet you don't even seem to notice." The slim detective had gone very still. With his upper lip, he traced L's jawline, pausing just at the corner of the other man's mouth. Was it just him, or was he in fact breathing more heavily than before? "You're driving me _insane_, Ryuzaki", Light susurrated, just barely above a whisper, one hand sneaking to the back of L's neck against his will.

With a second _bing,_ the doors openend once again and they both, having leaned against them, tumbled out and crashed onto the floor. Light's eyes snapped open in shock (when had he closed them anyway?) and he stared at his co-worker who had landed right on top of him. Upon seeing L's confounded look, it finally dawned on him what he had been about to do.

_And we all call Matsuda an idiot..._

**Extremely long chapter for my standards...**

**I actually brought Sochiro Yagami's brithday two months back for the sake of this story. I'm sure he'll forgive me ;)**

**Thanks to all of you; your reviews make me want to cry out of happiness!**


	7. Taking Care Of You

**Taking Care Of You**

There was no way out of it this time.

As dazed as L might be in his current state, there was just _no way_ that it would go right past him how Light's body had overruled his mind for a short amout of time, almost going so far as to kiss him. Who knows what would have happened if the elevator doors hadn't opened just in time.

Although the position they found themselves in right now wasn't doing any better to release Light from his struggle between either staying true to his moral values or giving in and acting upon his feelings for once. L's bony knee brushing against his inner thigh through the cloth of their pants was already driving him towards the brink of insanity. An uncontrollable shiver ran down his spine while he stared speechlessly into the detectives' eyes that had momentarily lost their typical sharpness. Of course he knew that they were glazed over in such an enticing manner because of his earlier consumption of alcohol, but he imagined that this would be the same kind of look L would give him if he was aroused and drunk with him, Light, instead.

"What..." The man who was practically straddling him blinked as if unsure how to form a coherent sentence. "What have you been doing...back in the elevator? Why did you...why did you touch me like that?" As he readjusted his position, his knee slid even closer towards a very sensitive area, almost causing Light to roll his eyes back in pleasure, all of his blood seeming to flee from his head at one blow.

He needed to get out of this situation, right _now_, before L became aware of his state, if he hadn't already found out that is. Pushing the detective away he got up, pulling L with him and praying that he would forget about his inquiries if only he ignored them resolutely.

"Light-kun?"

Oh yeah_ right_, he had forgotten who he was talking about for a second.

Leaning heavily on his shoulder, L breathed into his ear: "According to my accumulated observations so far your behavior is highly peculiar. I surmised that you'd be averse to all forms of physical closeness, hence your initial insistence to sleep in another bed." It was absurd how the world's best detective could be this inebriated and had to be literally dragged to his own room, but if it came to suspect Light in any way, be it Kira-related or not, his mind became as sharp as ever and he could articulate himself just perfectly fine.

"There is nothing woring with my attitude, Ryuzaki", he objected. "It's merely that your perspective is distorted right now. Being drunk leads you to believe things that aren't really happening, or at least not in the way you seem to perceive them." Yes, that sounded good. With a little bit of luck he could use L's inexperience regarding alcohol and its effects and talk his way out of this.

Finally arriving at their shared room, he impatiently waited for L to enter the numerical code that locked the door. His hand slipped several times and only with the third try did the lock click open. It was immensely satisfying to see that the alcohol affected the almightly detective so much and revealed his human side that was customarily hidden from the outside world.

They both shuffled in, the heavy door slamming shut behind them, reminding Light that nobody would be able to enter from the outside, not even Watari. For now, they were completely alone and undisturbed, with L at his will considering his current state. On second thought, phrasing it like that was no good idea.

Not at all, as an almost familiar tightness in his lower regions admonished him gently.

There weren't even any cameras installed in their room, as L had argued that he'd keep a close eye on his suspect 24/7 anyway. Geez, if Light was Kira this plan would have backfired awfully because it didn't seem like he was in control of _anything_ this very instant.

For a minute or so, Light just stood there in the middle of the spacious room, with L clinging to him as if he was afraid to get lost if he let go. Now that they had reached their destination, he was suddenly uncertain of what to do.

"It's still broad daylight, but I guess it's probably best if you'd get some rest, Ryuzaki", he suggested finally, prying L's long bony fingers from his shoulder. "Come on, get changed first." _Splendid_, so now he also sounded as if he was mothering him? Mother Light – he had reached a new lowest point in his life. In order to give the detective time to strip down to his underwear, he opened the drawer where he stored his identical articles of clothing that Light highly suspected were mass-produced somewhere here in this huge building.

When he turned back around though, the sugar-addict was still fumbling with his white shirt that refused to get pulled over his head. At least he had possessed the presence of mind to get rid of the chain first. Light caught himself gawking shamelessly at his flat stomach and the muscles flexing underneath his milky skin as he struggled with the garment. Yes, he was incredibly malnourished for a man of his age and height, but his body was also trained thanks to various martial arts he obviously practised; the bones in his jaw where Light had received the powerful kick while they had been fighting over L's depression during a so-called "date" with Misa still hurt from time to time. _Bastard._

And yet it would be so much easier to despise him if he wasn't that irresistably..._cute._ There was no more appropriate expression to describe the way L pulled at the fabric, giving up at long last, and letting his slim shoulders droop in defeat. A fond smile that could hardly ever be seen on Light's face tugged at his lips. Perhaps it had been unavoidable from the start to fall for the quirky freak. "Hold on, I'll help you", he laughed gently, stepping very close to L and freeing his head from the rebellious shirt. The insomniac's hair was even more ruffled than usual, evoking the image of a kitten that had been dried and whose fur stood on end in a fluffy ball.

"Lift your arms!, he then instructed, for some strange reason feeling the need to speak in a hushed voice as if afraid to scare off a wild animal. His counterpart complied without hesitation, raising both of his angular arms mechanically. It almost seemed that L had been used to change clothes this way for a long time, and with a pang of sympathy it occurred to Light that good old Watari had a hard job, at least when the detective had still been younger.

He tried his hardest to avoid touching him inadvertently, but it was inevitable as he slipped it over his forearms, elbows and hands, his cool fingers against L's heated skin inducing a violent shiver that shook the man's delicate frame. It exhilirated Light how he could get a reaction out of him, even if it was this faint and insignificant. How had it come to all of this? He was basically stripping the man who was supposed to keep a sharp watch over him, and as if that wasn't enough a couple of fantasies entered his mind that should be locked away safely, especially in this kind of situation.

Throwing L's shirt to the ground, Light swiftly turned back to the drawer, wisely leaving it to the detective to take off his jeans on his own. And when he heard a muffled sound as clothes hit the floor as well as a rattle that told him that the chain was back in place, he was reasonable enough to _not_ turn his face towards the older man, instead just reaching him the fresh stack of clothes.

But yet again L knew how to surprise him. "I won't wear that", he slurred, stumbling forwards and knocking it out of Lights' hands. "I'm too hot", he continued and brushed some ebony strands out of his forehead for emphasis.

_You sure are right about _that. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat upon laying his hazel eyes on L's barely clothed body. His heart was running a marathon within his chest, rendering him motionless and unable to react when his room-mate leaned against him for support. "My head is spinning, Light-kun", he whined, "I haven't gotten this sick in quite a while."

"You're not sick though", Light reassured him, his breathing shallow as he felt the detective everywhere, his senses now twice as sensitive. If only he wasn't that damn close... "It's just a harmless side effect from the alcohol you've drunk before. You'll see that it will be better by tomorrow." _Aside from the hangover you'll certainly have, that is. _"Would you come to bed with me now? I-I meanso you can finally get some rest!", he finished lamely, cringing at his own wording. What exactly was this useless attraction doing to his once sharp mind?

Luckily, L didn't seem to catch on to the ambiguity. Void of all gracefulness he flopped onto the double bed, one arm slung over his face.

"That was terribly careless of you, Ruyzaki." The statement had come out of nowhere, without Light thinking about it. "If I _was_ Kira, you'd be utterly vulnerable right now. I acknowledge that your love for everything strawberry-flavored is unsurpassed, but if you noticed the alcoholic content – which you _did _– then you should have stopped."

The detective removed his arm, observing Light through clouded eyes as he sat down next to him. "There was no reason whatsoever for me to be worried about my welfare. Haven't I told you that you are the first friend I have ever had?"

"You must truly be delirious if you talk that way", the brunet replied, bitterness coating his voice. "We both know it was a sham. Nothing but a game played between the two of us. We aren't friends, are we?"

L sat up unsteadily, the doom-laden look in his eyes warning Light before he could speak the following words. "And what is it you want, Light-kun? Would you like to become friends with me? Or is it something else you're after?"

The Kira suspect rested his head in his hands in exasperation. "Not the Kira-talk again", he begged. "I don't know what you expect; maybe that I suddenly confess to a crime that I did not commit, but..."

"This has nothing to do with Kira", L retorted, and before Light could say _strawberry cheesecake,_ he had climbed into his lap, his knees right next to both of his suspects' sides while the pallid fingers rested low on his shoulders. Being that close, Light could smell the faint scent of alcohol in his damp breath and he became even more aware of how very bare L's torso was in that instant. His heartbeat accelerated when one hand slid down to explore the soft curve of his collarbone. No doubt that the insomniac could feel the frantic pounding against his throat.

"I'm talking about a much more personal issue", he elaborated, applying slightly more pressure and starting to stroke his chest in what Light thought was an exceedingly sensual movement. "To be quiet frank with you, your queer behavior not only from today but also from the past couple of weeks aroused my suspicion."

_Goddamnit Ryuzaki, that is not the only thing that's going to be aroused if you won't stop this soon! _As if on cue, L lowered himself further into his lap and leaned forwards until their noses almost brushed. "I've caught you staring at me several times during work or while getting ready for bed. In addition, you seem to be distracted most of the time and there has been an increase in moments you blush or appear flustered, not to mention other physical reactions that unquestionably indicate an attraction of some sort." His massaging became more insistent as his hand traveled lower. Light had to hold back a soft moan as his co-worker almost imperceptibly rocked his hips. "From the advances you exhibited in the elevator, I conclude that against all odds, _I _am in fact the one who caught your interest, Light-kun."

The ex-student's mind was completely blank. He just about understood that he had been found out, but with L's lips so seductively close to his he couldn't focus on the problem at hand. He had promised himself that he wouldn't take advantage of his condition, but if the detective was the one to iniciate this, he would not resist. His self-restraint only went so far.

With his free hand, L grasped a few of his locks, playfully twirling them around his finger. "Am I not right?", he whispered with a voice that sounded at least one octave lower than it normally did. As much as Light intended to answer with an honest and clear "yes", it came out as nothing more but a raucous and breathy groan, L's half-lidded eyes and the slurred, alcohol induced speech being too much for him.

Unexpecdetly, the tug on his auburn hair intensified and the obsidian eyes' stare took on a harsher nuance. "I knew I was right", L said while getting up shakily, never loosening his unrelenting grip on his hair. "I think there are a few things you'll need to explain to me."

A shocked expression was carved into Light's handsome face. It seemed that this scene from one of his most secret and wonderful fantasies had just turned into a horrendous nightmare.

* * *

**I really hope this chapter is as much fun to read as it was writing :)**

**Since my next exams are just around the corner, it **_**might**_** be possible that my next update will be slow, but I certainly will update and not abandon this fanfic, I promise.**


	8. Putting Up An Act For You

**Putting Up An Act For You**

If there was one moment in Light's life where he desperately waited for Kira to give him a lethal heart attack, it was most definitely _now._ L's firm grip on his hair was merciless, those dark orbs, albeit dazed, swallowed him whole, sucking the truth out of him as the juice of an red-cheeked apple. What did the detective expect to hear from him? The embarrassing truth was already out, the cat let out of the bag. There were no words to explain why he had developed these feelings – if anything, Light would have liked to figure that out himself first.

"I'm still waiting for an answer." Impatience was present in his voice, but Light didn't care. Instead he firmly kept his mouth shut; this way no stumbled words could come out before his brain started to function again, no stammering that would give away his embarrassment and helplessness.

"Fine then, have it your way", L jeered, pushing him away and releasing his hold on him. "I can see how your intention to conceal your true identity spreads to other aspects of your personality as well." Without putting any more clothes on, the older man rolled up under the blanket and turned away from him. "My headache seems to worsen as we speek. In this state I'm not prepared to discuss this with you." He pulled the thin sheet up to his bony shoulders. "I just hope you can keep your hands to yourself – at least this once." The venom dripping from his words cruelly reminded Light how the detective must have noticed his (partly inadvertent) clinginess during the nights, as well as that his behavior in the elevatar had been inacceptable.

Careful to not even brush L, he lay on the far end of the commodious bed, the chain almost as taut as the tension between them. That jerk had no idea just how _much_ Light had kept his hands to himself over the past few weeks. Why did this have to happen to him of all people, to the marvellous number one student of Japan and one of the men who put their lives at risk to capture Kira? Was it a twisted sort of revenge of using all these girls' crushes to his advantage in the past? Their broken hearts for his heart scattered into tiny pieces?

Feeling weary and infinitely tired all of a sudden, Light closed his eyes. How he wished that he could just fall asleep and only awake when this matter was resolved. He almost yearned for his old life, before he had had his fateful encounter with the detective. But no, that was not what he truly desired either, a meaningless existence without the one man he felt this close mental connection with. A connection that filled the gaping void inside of him.

When relieving slumber surrouned him, making his limbs feel as heavy as lead, he felt a familiar weight settle on his hips. Before he could open his mouth to speak, had a chilly finger descended upon his lips, pleading him to not utter a single word that would disrupt the silence that engulfed them. Chapped lips found their way to his temple, gently kissing his jawline until they reached his throat where teeth teasingly bit his soft flesh, only to be replaced by those lips again that sucked on a sweet spot right under his ear.

Light clenched his hands into fists around silky hair without opening his eyes, pulling the owner's head closer to himself and taking a deep breath when a syrupy scent enveloped him. He buried his nose in the long tresses and sighed contentedly. Unlike before Light felt so much at ease right now, forgetting about his problems, his responsibility as one of the investigation team members, forgetting about the countless quarrels with L, about his role as the chief suspect in the Kira case, about this whole uncomfortable predicament he found himself in after his secret had been disclosed.

Then suddenly both of his arms were bent back, held together at the wrists, and a familiar metallic click told him that he had been chained to the head of the bed. Light halfheartedly struggled against his restraints, but the shackles wouldn't give in that easily. The person above him retreated slowly, the soothing presence gradually fading away until he was left alone and shivering. "Ryuzaki...?"

His eyes snapped open, the last remnants of the dream breaking and scattering in all directions. "Ryuzaki", he whispered once again with resignation. It pained Light to know that what he envisioned while unconscious would stay inside the realm of dreams, no matter how vivid his imagination seemed to be. Drowsily, he looked for the detective, but he was alone in their room. _Wait, alone...?_ _Don't tell me he unchained me just to get away from me. _When he tried to sit up, unbending bonds held him in place, pressing into his wrists. Upon putting his head back into the nape of his neck, he saw that this part of his dream had indeed been true, both handcuffs on him and the chain wound around the bar of the headboard that made it impossible to escape on his own. In addition, he could bet that the cameras installed in this room would be switched on now to keep him under surveillance without L around.

He darted a quick glance at the alarm clock. It was already past nine in the evening, the darkness inside the room only being dispersed by the city's lights; myriads of stars that were multiplied because of the skyscrapers' glass surfaces. Which meant Light had been asleep for almost nine hours straight. This ordeal seemed to take its toll on him at last, including a couple of nights when they had gone to bed at such an ungodly hour that the average citizen had to get up again.

He wondered where L had gone to as it didn't seem like him to leave his prime suspect alone, may he be chained as well as filmed or not. All at once, an atrocious thought crossed his mind. What if the insomniac had gone to Watari to discuss Light's infatuation with him and how to deal with it? The elderly man was something very close to a parental figure to L after all. Or worse yet, what if he had decided to inform his own father about what had transpired between them?

"Screw that bastard!", he cursed while kicking the comforter off the bed, his temper flaring at the very thought of being given away like that.

"I very much hope that you aren't talking about screwing _me_?" Light whirled around, the iron tearing painfully at his wrists at the sudden lurch, and his heart pounding in his ears when he heard that callous voice. Without him noticing had L – to his disappointment fully clothed again - entered during his short-lived tantrum, a playful glint in his eyes that stood in contrast to his unmoving facial features. "Though considering the position you find yourself in this very instant, that doesn't seem to be an option for you."

Huffing indignantly, Light turned his back on him, mainly to hide the obvious heat in his cheeks that L's suggestive comment had evoked. "Where have you been?", he asked to quickly change the topic of their conversation.

"Why?" L quirked an eyebrow. "Did you miss me already?"

"Stop playing around!" _What have I done to deserve this agony?_

"If you want to know so badly, I felt hungry after waking up, and therefore I went into the kitchen to get some cream gateau."

"Seriously?" Light sneaked a glance over his shoulder to examine the other's appearance. "Shouldn't you still be feeling sick from drinking?"

"Light-kun, I slept for as many hours today as I usually do in an entire week. If that isn't enough to cure a simply hangover, I don't know what else would."

"Fine, you oddball." _Something is most definitely not alright with your body to eat cream gateau after being inebriated like that for the first time. _"And why if I might ask did you leave me here?"

L moved further into the room, until he stood next to him with this appaling posture of his. "You were fast asleep, so I did not want to wake you."

"Now _that_ doesn't sound like you at all", Light sneered. "The way I know you, your typical prodecure would be to ruthlessly drag me with you like a doll."

"Perhaps I needed some time away from you. It is not ever day that I get a confession, you know."

Light furiously grit his teeth. "I was not _confessing_ to you!"

The sugar-addict wedged his thumb between his canines. "I beg to differ, but you seemed to thoroughly enjoy my attention earlier. Besides, you truthfully confirmed my question whether I caught your interest, may I remind you."

"I'll tell you what you may; you may shut up now!" Completely losing control, Light furiously yanked at the shackles. "Unchain me right now!"

"First I need you to listen to me." Hands in his pockets, L turned towards the nightly city. "The main problem of this situation is not that I'd feel uncomfortable about this; to be honest I couldn't care less about what other people might think about me. What is worrisome is that your attraction markedly affects the quality of your work by roughly 42,78 %..."

"Isn't that a very random number?", Light interjected morosely.

"...and we can hardly afford you being that distracted during a case of such utmost importance", he continued, completely ignoring Light's comment. "What is more, we should refrain from informing the task force members or even Watari of your...", he cocked his head in thought, "your...condition, as they could possibly demand to end your constant observation due to my alleged imcompetence. However, I cannot lose someone with your excellent powers of deduction."

Stunned, Light stared at the back of his head. It alienated him how heartlessly L approached this issue, acting as if they just discussed a new strategy to outwit Kira. It was so awfully apparant that he did not particularly care for Light, and if he hadn't forgotten how to cry a long time ago, he would have to fight the tears welling up in his eyes.

L turned to him languidly, his face lying in flitting shadows. "I'm willing to do what is necessary to free you of these troublesome affects, so you can work again with high levels of concentration and dedication." With that he leaned over Light and finally released him, letting one of the handcuffs snap around his own wrist as they were used to by now.

Stretching his arms that had gone stiff from being retained in the same position, Light hesitantly asked: "And what exactly is it you plan on doing to put things straight?"

"To put things straight, hm?" His roommate played with his lower lip as he crouched on the edge of the bed. "Your phraising certainly is provocative."

"Could you please cut it out?"

"Of course." Leaning forward, L chose some candy he kept on his bedside table, unwrapped it and took it in his mouth, chewing slowly. "To be quite frank, I'll allow you to have your way with me."

Light could have sworn that for the fraction of a second the world stopped turning while the statement hovered over him before it sunk in. "You _what_? But...I thought you – well, that you didn't-"

"Please don't get me wrong", L interrupted sharply. "It's not that I want to do this, it's just that I don't care when it means in turn that I can continue keeping a close watch on you."

This had to be some tasteless joke.

There was no way this was _not_ some tasteless joke.

"Are you out of your mind?!", Light yelled when he found no sign that L was jesting. The detective swallowed his candy indifferently. "Why? If I want cake, I go and get some until I feel satisfied. It's as easy as that, Light-kun."

"That might be true, but not for people and their feelings! I'd feel disgusted with myself if I took advantage of you."

"It's not taking advantage if I permit it."

Light gaped at him. That psycopath was actually serious! Only someone like L who lived as isolated from society and its conventions as he did could suggest such nonsense. But then again...wasn't it exactly what he himself had done for so many years, leading girls on until he didn't need them anymore and cast them away? And maybe, just maybe the detective was right and Light would get tired of him after a while, as he always did with everyone. Then he would be cured of these burdensome feelings for good. "But don't you think it would be awkward for me to kiss somebody who doesn't even care for me and who's as unresponsive as you are?", he objected, still not convinced of this mediocre plan.

It all happened in a flash; before he could bat an eyelid Light was pressed right up against the headboard, L's hands pushing against his chest holding him in place. Then suddenly the detective's lips were on his and he decided that all of his doubts could wait until later. Just as he had imagined, they were slightly chapped, but surprisingly more skilled than in his secret fantasies. He felt heat building up inside of him when L tilted his head to get better access and seductively sucked on his lower lip, eliciting a low moan from Light.

It all ended far too soon for his taste. Abruptly, the older man pulled back, leaving him dazed, confused and utterly lost. "You should not forget that you aren't the only skillful actor", L reminded him, the lack of proper lighting giving his face an almost eerie appearance. "I can make sure to make it as believable as possible."

As much as Light wanted to reply, he couldn't find any words, his head still spinning from the unexpected kiss. He didn't have the foggiest notion how he had learned to kiss like that, or perhaps he was just a natural talent, but he most certainly longed for more.

"You can reconsider my offer, Light-kun", he said as he got up, grabbed his laptop and settled back down into his bizarre crouch. "As long as I can continue my work with the same efficiency as before, I don't mind at all if I have to put on an act."

Light silently watched as he opened his laptop and forthwith started to type away, forgetting all about his suspect the moment he opened a new document.

There was no doubt that Light felt extremely left out and not to forget taken by surprise with this unanticipated change of events. There was a voice inside his head telling him that something that felt so incredibly good couldn't possibly be that wrong. Yet at the same time he knew that he shouldn't listen to L's proposal, because instead of satisfying his desire, this one kiss had only left him thirsting for more.

* * *

**I know it's been a long time since I last updated, but college has gotten in the way.**

**Thanks a lot to the ones who still stick with this fic even I'm incredibly slow; I'm sure that the next update will be faster again ;)**


	9. Jealous Of You

**Jealous Of You**

There were two things Light knew without the shadow of a doubt:

First, he'd make a deal with some supernatural creature like a shinigami to make L return his feelings.

Second, he'd do about the same to be allowed to strangle him this instant without hesitation.

Of all the treats the sweets-loving loon could have chosen as his snack during work, he _had _to pick a lollipop, teasing Light with his constant licking and sucking. It might have been easier to endure had L not done it on purpose, asking Light to take a look at some figures on his screen now and then just to get his attention.

_Well played, Ryuzaki. _More than anything else did Light hate giving up as it displayed some kind of weakness, but the detective knew what to do to make him cave in. Not that he had intended to recline L's offer in the first place – the mere thought of having him more or less at his will seemed way too tempting, but he had planned to at least hold out a couple of days after their shared kiss yesterday that had kept him awake the whole night.

"Would you please come with me for a minute?" Light got up and moved into the direction of the metal door that led to the hallway, but an unyielding jolt held him back when the chain became taut. He turned to see that L made no effort to follow him, stubbornly sorting through some papers.

"What is it?", the Kira suspect asked, exasperated.

"You've already gone to the bathroom in the course of the last five hours, which is why I fear that I can't permit you to go again right away, in order to ensure the efficiency of our work."

"I just want to talk something through with you. It won't take long", he promised. _Besides, our investigations reached a dead end anyway for the moment._

"Then why don't we talk about it right here?", the head of the investigation team insisted, not even bothering to lift his gaze.

"_Because_", Light drawled, "it's a private matter and I wouldn't like the idea of anyone overhearing our conversation." He pointedly fixed his eyes on Matsuda who once again scurried back and forth in hopes of finding something productive to do.

"Fine then", L sighed and hopped from his chair, accompanying him in his usual slouch. "I'm all ears", he declared after they had passed through the door and left the working space and all potential curious ears behind. "So what is so important that we had to sacrifice precious working time?"

"I'll do it", Light announced laconically, standing bolt upright and with his arms crossed in front of his chest. A certain defensive posture helped him to cover up his vulnerability.

"Do what? Finally confess to being Kira?" Sudden interest lit up in the pitch-black depths of L's eyes.

"I meant accepting your offer, you moron!" Why had Kira to be the only thing that could gain L's undivided attention?

The insomniac clicked his tongue disapprovingly and raised a warning finger, waggling it in front of Light's face. "You shoudln't insult the one whose services you're going to make use of", he chided with a lopsided grin.

"But _you_ were the one who suggested it in the first place!"

"Yes, for your sake." The smile had vanished completely, faster than L could eat a piece of chocolate, and disappointment, heavier than lead, settled in the pit of Light's stomach. He didn't want to be reminded of the fact that he only suggested it so work could run more smoothly again. It aggravated him that there was something in his nearly perfect life he couldn't get, but what irked him even more was that L's constant rejection hurt him so badly.

"I must admit though", the crazy-haired man continued their conversation, his gaze glued to the bleack wall as if in deep thought, "I'm surprised you surrendered already and gave up your highly valued pride that easily." The look of superiority quickly evaporated from the detective's visage when he was whirled around by his arm and his back crashed against the wall, a soft sound of pain leaving his mouth. In a fit of anger, Light firmly grabbed his chin and tilted his head upwards until he was forced to look at him, L's body trapped between the wall and himself with no means of escape. "Listen up!", he hissed while concentrating on not being too distracted by their close proximity. "I'm sick and tired of the way you play with me, Ryuzaki! I'm not denying that I'll be dependent on you for the duration of our arrangement, but that doesn't mean you can trample all over my feelings to your heart's content – if you possess one, that is."

"How very cruel of you." With strong fingers, L pried his hands off and moved right up into his personal space. "To accuse me of not having a heart." His sweet breath fanned over Light's lips as he came even closer, the artificial light in the corridor making the dark smudges under his eyes seem more pronounced. "Although I'm showing you so much kindness." With his thumb, he agonizingly slowly traced his jawline and bottom lip.

"_You_ are the cruel one", Light argued miserably, his voice straint, but he let it happen anyway when L pulled him closer at the front of his shirt and brushed his lips against his own. Eagerly, he deepened the kiss and allowed his eyes to close, letting one hand slip to L's waist even though he knew perfectly well that he was only played with. Once again.

An uncontrollable shiver took possession of his spine when he pressed more intimately against L, his head spinning in utter euphoria. He pushed the detective further against the wall, hungrily roaming the inside of his mouth as his hand traveled lower and settled on his hipbone. L didn't resist or complain, but he flinched once in surprise, barely noticeable, obviously not used to such close contact.

Indeed, his acting skills were remarkable and could be compared to Light's own, but even though the flood of emotions and hormones was overwhelming the Kira suspect, there was something missing. While L's pacing and technique were flawless, his face was completely void of emotion when Light peeked through his half-closed eyelids, and he was disconcerted to see that he hadn't even closed his own eyes to begin with, but instead scrutinized him as if observing some intriguing experiment. There was no passion whatsoever, no devotion, and suddenly L's boring stare felt like a stab right into his heart.

Before Light knew what overcame him did he push the man away violently, holding him at an arm's length as he tried to catch his breath. He could feel himself tremble, but whether with intense emotion caused by their fervent exchange or rage he didn't know. To his surprise there was a startled expression painted on L's face. He evidently hadn't expected this sudden and strong reaction, and it filled Light with something close to satisfaction to know that _he_ was the one to evoke this emotion – at least until he realized that it wasn't him after all.

L's line of sight went over his shoulder at something behind him, causing him to follow his gaze. _Oh, for the sake of..._

They weren't alone in the hallway anymore. At some point someone else had stepped out of their working room, and that person sure had witnessed their encounter if that jaw hanging open was any indication. There was a noisy crash when the cup Matsuda had been holding slipped out of his grasp, the coffee spilling everywhere and dying the clinically white tiles a darker color. "I, uhh...", the poor man stammered and fell down to his knees, picking up one fragment and staring helplessly at the mess as if that would make it go away. "I didn't mean to...well uh – interrupt; I only meant to pour away the cold coffee and get some new one, when I uhm..." He trailed off, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Light discreetly took his distance from his superior as the world around him crashed down and buried him beneath it. His life was over. Matsuda had seen something he never should have. He could already see his father's shocked look in his mind's eye upon finding out that his highly praised son had an illicit affair going on not only with another man that was easily five years older if not more, but with the head of the investigation team of all people. Even if that wasn't quite accurate as L only pretended, but try explaining _that_ to an enraged father.

While Light still struggled with regaining his composure, L had already crouched down opposite of Matsuda and helped him pick up the broken pieces of the cup. "I can expect you to keep what you've just seen to yourself, can't I, Matsuda-san?", he asked friendly, but emphatically. The unmoving look he gave him clearly didn't tolerate any objections.

"O-of course!", the intimidated man promised hastily, taking the fragments that L handed him over.

"Very well." With a curt nod, the detective got up again and pointed at the shed coffee. "I'd be much obliged if you would be so kind now as to clean up this mess."

"At once!" As Matsuda dashed into the direction of the next broom closet, Light noticed how he took a rapid glance across his shoulder as if to assure himself that they didn't start to make out again.

"What are you doing?", Light inquired irritably once he was out of earshot. "Thanks to your secretiveness, Matsuda will think that we have something going on for each other."

Idly, L scratched a spot behind his ear. "Don't we?", was all the said, keeping a straight face.

"We _don't_, Ryuzaki! I mean...from Matsuda's point of view it sure looks like we do, but we both know it's not like that. You could've at least tried to find a more or less credible explanation instead of making it seem like we have a relationship."

"I wasn't aware that I owe anyone an excuse, Light-kun", his counterpart shunned his accusations, already on his way back to the working space. "Matsuda saw us kissing, and that's what we've actually been doing, so I see no reason to justify myself. More importantly, this incident made us lose precious time. Let's go back to work."

When L opened the door, however, a blonde whirlwind swept past him, aiming straight for Light, and tackled him before he had time to prepare for the impact. A shrill "Liiiiight" told him who he was dealing with. "Misa", he said breathless, her tight embrace squeezing all the air out of his lungs. "What are you doing here?"

"Have you forgotten?" The pout on her pretty face displayed her disappointment. "I'm allowed to come and visit you at work today!"

"You're right, I'm sorry", he apologized while the detective pulled him towards his computer, Misa never leaving his side. "I've been so busy with work that I lost count of the days." All of a sudden Light was infinitely relieved that it had only been Matsuda walking in on them; if this girl had seen them together like this, hell would have broken lose.

"It's okay, darling!" As soon as they reached his chair, Misa sat down on his lap, her big brown eyes never once leaving his face. Granted, his memories of the time before he was taken into solitary confinement by L were fuzzy, but he couldn't fathom how he could have ever agreed to become this airhead's boyfriend. Not that he hated her, she was not only a beautiful, but also good-natured girl, but her clinginess and stupidity annoyed him greatly. Once this whole ordeal with being suspected of Kira was over, he would tell her the truth and break up with her, but for now he didn't want to upset her even more. The imprisonment and being suspected of acting as Kira two had to burden her enough already.

"So..." The blonde interrupted his train of thought by shoving her face into his, both of her delicate arms around his neck. "Can we go on a date again soon?", she pleaded, followed by an _extremely_ girly giggle.

"I'm very sorry, Misa, but I don't know yet when we'll be able to schedule our next date. We just recently found a new lead we have to look into meticulously, and it'll probably consume a lot of time", he lied, remembering their last date with horror. Somehow it had ended with L's foot in his face, and he didn't appreciate that in the least.

"But I'm so alone all day, and I miss you terribly!", Misa whined, rubbing her cheek against his. _What _is _she, some dog?_ Out of the corner of his eyes, he noted how L started to type more aggressively. Surely her chichat had to peeve him as well. Better getting rid of her right away. "Listen, Misa, today's a really inconvenient day for visiting. It's better for you to go back to your room now, but I promise I'll spend some time with you on another day."

"But-" He forstalled her endless nagging that for sure would have followed by gently pressing her lips on hers, not more than a simple peck as to not get her hopes up too high. He didn't want to break her heart more than necessary.

"Alright, Light", Misa chirped as if in a trance, slowly getting up and smiling timidly at him. "I'll see you around, then." With a lively gait, she obediently left the room, turning around one last time to wave him goodbye.

"Sorry for the bother, she can be so stubborn", Light sighed, running one hand through his auburn hair. "Bring it on already; I'm impatiently waiting for one of your wonderful comments about how we lost time yet again."

There was a long pause, which was why he decided to take a closer look at his colleague. To his bewilderment had L not only stopped typing, he didn't even seem to read the word document in front of him, eyes and body motionless. "Ryuzaki...?"

Calling his pseudonym brought him back to the here and now. "I guess we did", he murmered lethargically, propelling Light's puzzlement into unknown heights.

_Did he just _forget working_? Is that even possible? If the next thing he tells me is that he doesn't want to eat any more candy, it's high time to start worrying._

* * *

"It was such a long day, I'm glad to finally get some rest." Rubbing his hair dry with a bathroom towel, Light flopped onto the bed, too tired to care for sitting down more graciously. "What is wrong with you?", he asked when L trudged over to his side of the bed, the expression on his face more fit for a funeral than a bedroom. Well, not that they'd use this bedroom for any other _activities_ than sleeping anyway, of course! "Ever since Misa visited this afternoon you've been in the nastiest mood imaginable, and to be honest I couldn't help but wonder..." His heart started to beat rapidly, the hopeful thought making him lightheaded. "Is it possible that you're jealous of her?"

He held his breath whilst waiting for his reply. L took his time with answering, slipping under the covers without taking extra hours today as he had pulled a few all-nighters already. "It would be far more accurate to claim that I'm jealous of _you_, Yagami-kun." Light's face turned even paler than L's alabaster skin upon hearing him revert to his family name. Whatever it meant, it couldn't be good.

"It certainly must be convenient if you can just go around and pretend to have feelings in front of just anybody. Is that how much your love is worth? Because if it is, I do not think that I would ever want it."

"There was never any talk of _love_ in the first place." Light threw his towel away in frustration. "All I ever said is that I'm attracted to you; it's not my fault if my body's going through a severe lapse of taste!"

"I shall turn off the light then, so you won't have to bear my distasteful face anymore..."

"Please wait", Light implored, gently holding him back. "That came out all wrong. I'm intrigued by you, so naturally I wouldn't think of you as repulsive." He patiently waited until the detective's tensed form relaxed a little, mesmerized by the way the cities' lights danced in the impenetrable darkness of his eyes. "Do you think it would be alright if I slept close to you tonight?"

L didn't look up, but the animosity he had felt until just now had dispersed. "I agreed to letting you do whatever is necessary to forget about me", he granted permission in his roundabout way.

"Then would you let me kiss you a last time before going to sleep?"

"Do what you have to do, Light-kun."

The answer itself didn't sound very inviting, but by using his first name again L told him everything he needed to know. Taking his face in both hands, Light captured his lips very gently this time, pouring all the sensations into the kiss that this scrawny and eccentric man called forth inside of him. It was hard to remind himself that this wasn't real, that it was possible that L would never return his feelings, but when he sneaked a glimpse through his eyelashes and saw that he others' eyes were closed this time around, he told himself that perhaps it was still too early to give up hope completely.

* * *

**Thank you for the lovely and partially very interesting reviews.**

**Whenever I'm in a slump I just look at them and feel motivated again :)**


	10. Addicted To You

**Addicted To You**

It was already early October when they finally came across a new lead in respect of the Kira case: Several deaths of people who had held key positions within a leading Japanese company. Coincidentally, they had all died of heart attacks. To all appearances, Kira supported a group named Yotsuba now instead of merely killing serious offenders.

_What's this guy after, _Light wondered while he double-checked some data. _Was it really Kira's goal to maximize Yotsuba's profit from the very beginning?_ _It's hard to believe that killing all these criminals was only a pretext..._

Falling back in his chair, he watched as L talked with Aiber and Wedy. After Aizawa had fallen out with L and left the investigation team, the confidence trickster and the burglar had joined them on the detective's request. Due to the chain's limited range they weren't sitting far away from him, but they spoke so quietly that he could only pick up very few words. He secretly wondered under which circumstances L had made their acquaintance, realizing once again just how little he knew about his life except for what was evident at first glance, such as his extraordinary quirks. Across Wedy's shoulder, their eyes met for a moment, L's expression unreadable, but not completely emotionless. Before Light could place it had something that Aiber said caught L's attention again, their eye contact breaking.

The ex-student waited patiently until the two criminals left the building, not missing the questioning look they gave the chain that bound him to the dark-haired man. Among the members of the investigation team it wasn't an issue, but with these two around Light felt as if he had to wear some sign that informed the reader that the chain had absolutely _nothing_ to do with some weird fetish.

"I thought they'd never leave", he breathed when it was finally just the two of them, his father, Matsuda and Mogi long since gone home.

"I apologize, Light-kun, but there were a few matters of importance we had to discuss", his co-worker pointed out, obviously not caring to explain why Light had been excluded from their conversation. He then felt a hand on his shoulder, resting there for longer than was necessary. "You did good work today. If you don't mind we can call it a day for today."

Light laughed curtly, turning towards him in his swivel chair. "If I don't mind?", he repeated mockingly. "Are you kidding me? I usually have to beg on my knees to convince you to go to bed when it's already way past midnight. Did you honestly believe there was a chance that I might refuse?"

"I suppose I didn't." L didn't resist when he was pushed against the desk, both of Lights' hands low on his hip. "I hate that I have to wait for so many hours until I have you all to myself", he confessed as one hand slipped under the white shirt and started to caress his back, tracing the pronounced curve of his spine.

"It's been a few weeks now since we made our agreement", L remarked, and Light didn't miss how his face was turned towards the ground. "I'm surprised you haven't grown tired of me yet. I don't intend to sound insolent, but it appears to me that your interest for someone or something usually isn't of lasting nature."

"Says the guy who sits back to front on his chair like a monkey when he gets bored of the case, nibbling on some candy while I'm left to do the real work."

The detective lifted his head until he could glower at him from below. "That was before I regained my motivation", he retorted. "You should know better than anyone else that the Kira case is of utmost importance to me."

Ah, those words stung. L didn't even try to conceal what he truly meant to express – namely that Light did not stand a chance against the case when it came to the man's attention.

"You never miss a chance to make me aware of the fact that work is more important to you than anything else, including my welfare,_ yes_." All those nights L had refused to go to bed because he couldn't be interrupted from work, so obsessed with it as if his life depended on it. But what was a thousand times worse, all the occasions on which Light had been reminded that he simply didn't matter to him. At least not in the way he yearned for.

"To be precise, there are actually several things that are undoubtedly ranked higher in importance in comparison to you", the insomniac added parenthetically, tilting his head as if he went through a list of all those things in his mind.

"You really feel like ticking me off, don't you?", Light growled and scraped his fingernails against the sensitive skin of his back to indicate his anger.

L shrugged carelessly. "I don't particularly appreciate being compared to an ape."

"Aren't you a little too vindictive though?" The playfulness completely vanished from his face. "You know about my feelings, Ryuzaki, and they haven't changed. If anything, they've grown stronger." _So strong that I'd even trade some of my perfection just to be able to be with you after this case is closed. _He caught his reflection in one of the dark monitors, admiring his own handsome face. _Well, maybe not all of it..._

He didn't expect L to answer, but the silence still weighed heavily on him. It told him so much more than anything the older man could've said in that moment. To disperse his dejection, Light leaned forwards and kissed his temple, one hand still at his back as he put the other one on the detective's thigh. The latter immediately tensed at the daring contact, but his face stayed perfectly composed, almost as if he had been once trained to never let any emotion surface.

Perhaps it was just part of L's personality.

Perhaps it was indispensable to become the three greatest detectives of this world.

When Light slid his knee between his legs and started to caress the inner side of his thigh, he finally reacted, pushing both hands against his chest to hold him back. "It seems I've pegged you all wrong, Light-kun", he admitted, his voice for once revealing his amazement. "I never expected you to...take such a step."

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm a healthy 18-year-old male, so what on earth did you expect when you offered me to _have my way with you_?" Seriously, Light had been holding back for so many weeks, not wanting to force himself on L, but by now he should be able to fulfill _all_ of his promise.

The detective blinked and gave him this kind of stare that made it obvious that he couldn't process this piece of information. "That's true, but...to be honest I don't think Watari would approve of that."

_What _are _you, a five-year-old that listens to anything your guardian tells you?_ Light sighed in exasperation. As much as he felt like ravishing L right here and now, on the table they usually worked on if needed, he slowly got the impression that it wasn't worth the trouble. "Listen, you shouldn't have phrased your offer that way if you had planned on setting clear limits from the beginning. It's okay if you don't want to sleep with me, but I'd rather not have you bring up Watari in this kind of conversation."

"If _you_ don't mind that's one thing, but I'm 92% sure he would not enjoy watching us", the sugar-addict commented flat out, one pallid finger pointing towards the cameras that were installed in the corners of the room, a red light blinking every once in a while.

Imitating the surveillance cameras, Light blinked in confusion.

And then blinked again at his own stupidity.

"Are you trying to tell me that they are still switched on?", he asked, although he already knew and dreaded the answer. Then something else that L had said hit him. "Wait, why only 92%?"

The detective put on a pensive expression, as if all of his deductive skills were needed to find a satisfactory answer to this question. "I've known Watari for many years, but I wouldn't know about all of his preferences."

"Let's _not _go there." Those were images the Kira suspect would rather live without, thank you very much. How could this creep have such a twisted mind and yet be so naive at times? "More importantly, if the cameras are still running, doesn't that mean that Watari has seen everything up until now since everybody else left?"

"Naturally." The bewildered look L gave him made him feel like a complete idiot. "It is more than likely that he has seen each of our non-work-related encounters so far. With the exception of our bedroom, I ensured that every nook and cranny would be monitored, including the hallways."

"How can you be so calm about this?" As much as Light tried to keep his cool, his voice sounded panicky and awfully high-pitched. He got away faster from him than Misa could ask for another date whenever she spotted him – and nobody could hold a candle to her when it came to this. "I'm your prime suspect, as much as I hate it. And if Watari decides that this relationship - leaving aside for now whether you're emotionally involved or not – could be potentially dangerous for you, he might tell the rest of the investigation team, which may in turn result in serious consequences for both of us."

L didn't seem to be fazed by any of his concerns. "I doubt that Watari would leak any relevant information to the other members or anybody else. We've been working together for many years, and he trusts the way I handle things. Apart from that he is quite aware that it is not his place to interfere."

"The way you talk about him makes him appear more and more like a servant", Light scoffed, but the detective's intense glare wiped his sneer off his face right away. "You might not be aware of it, but Watari's a vital part of this investigation and it would never cross my mind to think lowly of him." _Interesting. So the great detective does have his own opinion of other people and is able to show character._

The brunet crossed his arms and looked up, right into the nearest camera. "I still don't welcome the idea of Watari knowing about us or even watching." A harsh shiver went down his spine. "It kind of gives me the creeps."

"I thought you knew about the security system", L explained while pushing away from the desk.

"I _should_ have known, but..." Frustrated, he pinched the bridge of his nose. _But then you stand in front of me and somehow manage to make me forget all about my environment_, he ended in his thoughts, unaware of how a sly smile had found its way to L's face. "Aren't you glad now that I prevented you from doing anything naughty in front of recording cameras?", the malnourished man asked derivisely.

Light was about to take a compouter screen along with the cables and throw it at the pest, when the rustling of paper promted both of them to turn their heads. Startled, none other than Matsuda stared at the mess he'd caused (once again), a stack of documents scattered all over the floor. With an awkward smile, the man looked up and scratched his neck, visibly unsettled. "I forgot my front door key, so I was forced to come back and get them", he gave the reason for his unexpected appearance. "I didn't want to disturb you, so I had planned on slipping in, grabbing the keys, and disappearing again just as quickly, but I must have knocked over some..." He laughed uncomfortably and picked up one paper to wave it around for emphasis.

If looks could kill, Matsuda would have dropped dead right on the spot. "For how long have you been standing there?", Light inquired heatedly, his jaw set.

As if to fend off any possible accusations, the former police officer raised his hands. "D-don't worry, I didn't overhear your conversation about Watari finding out about the two of you!", he promised earnestly.

Light wasn't sure whether he should tear off his head, but the poor guy didn't even seem to realize his mistake in his panic, so he settled for pitying him and his imbecility. "Just forget about it and go home, Matsuda", he pleaded, all of his energy slowly draining.

The troublemaker didn't have to be told twice and obeyed, turning around with his head betweens his shoulders. "If I can help you in any way with your relationship problems though, you can count on me!", he promised overenthusiastically. "I couldn't help but notice that you were arguing, so..."

"The door, Matsuda", the Kira suspect reminded him impatiently. "You were just about to go, weren't you?"

"Right", the reprimanded muttered, disappointed that his advice wasn't needed in the slightest. Before he stepped through the door, he stuck his head back in once again. "Shouldn't I at least tidy up the mess I made?"

"Just get out!", Light screamed, by now hopping mad, and poor Matsuda hurried to comply. "Ugh, this day couldn't get any worse!" Tugging weakly at the chain, he silently asked L to follow him. "Let's just go to bed already, okay?"

* * *

Without any windows downstairs they hadn't noticed, but it had started to rain heavily, the water washing away the lights in the buildings and making the different colors outside blend to a blurred curtain. L stood in front of the huge windows, with this abhorrent posture of his, trying to penetrate the dark with his eyes that were even blacker than the night itself.

Behind him Light dressed for bed, looking up in surprise when the detective spoke all of a sudden. "This feels nostalgic", he said under his breath, not moving an inch. "It would pour down like this most of the time where I come from."

"England, right?" Light remembered their short conversation before they had begun their tennis match. That time seemed so incredibly far away now.

L didn't answer; perhaps he had never intented to speak about his home in the first place, the words accidentally slipping out of his mouth. The younger male decided not to probe, knowing how much the detective tried to never disclose information about himself. Instead he wrapped his arms around the slender waist and gently pulled him onto the bed between his legs. "You don't have to tell me anything if you feel safer keeping personal information to yourself", he assured him, gingerly kissing the side of his neck which appeared snow white in the pale light that filtered in through the glass front. To his astonishment did L shiver as if he was cold; in awe he watched the play of his muscles under the ivory skin. Could this mean...?

"I understand if you don't want to get more intimidate", Light susurrated close to his ear. "I've been pressuring you a little earlier, but I'd never actually force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with. It's hard to get rid of these bothersome feelings, but I'm already pleased with this." With his nose he pushed some of L's midnight hair out of the way to place a kiss right over the tip of his ear. Dumbfounded, he felt the detective press closer against him, his head inclining so that the man behind him had better access. His shudder grew more violent when Lights' lips moved to the nape of his neck.

_I simply can't make sense of you, Ryuzaki._ With every passing day, the insomniac's behavior had become more and more contradictory. When Misa showed up to ask for the brunet's attention, and for dates of course, he had displayed evident jealousy, and Light didn't buy his lame excuse of being envious of his flawless acting skills. Occasionally, L had shown signs of genuine affection, yet at other times he outright rejected him and didn't even move when he tried to kiss him.

Light's right hand stroked the detective's chest, feeling the rapid stammering of his heart under his fingertips while at the same time he felt his pulse against his jugular. Then suddenly the detective turned around, and his suspect moved backwards to give him more space. Against the faint light from outside, Light couldn't recognize the expression on his face, but before he could ask the questions that weighed on his mind that instant, had L claimed his lips. There were quite a few things he felt unsure about when they met, but if one thing was certain it was the fact that he had never before kissed him like that. He could feel the cautious touch of his tongue on his, the other's body heat through the simple longsleeved shirt. Heat rushed to Lights's cheeks and abdomen when he was straddled and it became exceedingly hard to breathe. L's kissing became more insistent when a low moan escaped him, the passionate feelings making him feel dizzy. At the exact same time that he clutched his shoulder desperately did the detective push him down against the mattress, breaking away so they could both gasp for air. Light's heart skipped a beat - or perhaps two - when he recognized the unmistakable desire in his eyes from up close.

"You– you're not pretending anymore, are you?", the Kira suspect whispered with a quivering voice. "I mean...this is what you truly feel, right? Because if not, I won't be able to take this anymore, Ryuzaki. You're driving me insane..."

"Would this be Kira's aim?", the man above him breathed, as if to himself. "To twist me around his finger until there's no escape anymore?"

"W-what?" It required all of Light's willpower to pull himself together and force the lust out of his thoughts. "You think this is some kind of ruse to make you trust me?" He propped his elbows up to get a better look at him. "You honestly believe _I _was the one pretending this whole time?"

"Weren't you the one who told me that you're an excellent actor?", L reminded him. His voice sounded broken.

"That's true, but...you idiot, there are some things that cannot simply be feigned." He took the detective's face into both of his hands, forcing him to not avert his eyes. "Is this why you've been pushing me away? Because you're convinced I'm Kira and trying to find a way to get to your weak point?"

The man shook his head, the disheveled hair brushing against the back of Light's hand. "It's not quite like that. In the beginning I only thought of you as someone who was highly suspicious of being Kira as well as an ingenious mind that could help me solve the case. And when I came up with that specific offer, I might have been curious of your reactions and I wasn't averse to experimenting with you , but my main goal was to get you back on track as I told you." He swallowed, and his body started trembling again. "However, I then began to feel distracted myself. I deliberately teased and provoked you. I didn't mind you touching me anymore."

_Please don't let me wake up now. _Please_ don't let this be a dream. _L's nimble fingers found their way to his stomach, pushing his pullover up to his chest. "There are still a couple of things left I'm rather curious about."

Light didn't need any more encouragement. In one fluent movement, he pulled the detective's shirt over his head and eagerly crushed his lips against his, both of his hands roaming the alabaster chest, the narrow waist and sharp curve of his hipbone. "You deserve one month - no, at least one year without any cake or sweets for doing this to me", he rasped, throwing back his head when his room-mate brushed against a very sensitive area of his body.

"My theory had one crucial flaw", L panted between two kisses. "If I want cake, I go and get some until I feel satisfied. But I didn't take into account that one can get addicted to it."

* * *

**Longest chapter so far. And to me the most important one =)**

**This fic does not end here; as someone already guessed I do plan to bring the Death Note back, but I won't let it end the same way it did in the manga/anime.**

**Also, I noticed that I **_**might**_** be stretching the T rating a little, but since there isn't anything explicit it should be alright ;)**

**Thanks to all of you for your precious reviews, I'd be lost without you guys.**


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